"There's no fear of justice, only of injustice." That was the comment from Gonzalo Boye, the lawyer for Catalan ministers Toni Comín and Meritxell Serret who this Sunday morning handed themselves in to Belgian police. "We presented ourselves voluntarily to [Spain's] National Audience [court] and, now, before Belgian authorities," he added in a tweet.
Nos personamos voluntariamente en la Audiencia Nacional y, ahora, ante autoridades belgas. No hay miedo a la justicia sino a la injusticia
— Gonzalo Boye (@boye_g) 5 novembre 2017
Translation: We presented ourselves voluntarily to [Spain's] National Audience [court] and, now, before Belgian authorities. There's no fear of justice, only of injustice
Boye emphasised that they have always acted with transparency and procedural loyalty and that they have presented themselves voluntarily to the justice systems of Belgium and Spain because "there has never been the intention to avoid justice".
Moreover, the ministers' lawyer explained that they have only looked to be able to defend themselves where their fundamental rights are guaranteed. He said that now "the first step of the procedure has been completed and it's now that the legal battle starts which will help all those under investigation".